Mattis heads to China for talks with Chinese military leaders

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will make his first visit to China this week where he will hold strategic talks with Chinese military leaders in Beijing amid growing tensions between the two nations.

While en route to Alaska, Mattis told reporters aboard Air Force E-4B – a militarized Boeing 747 – that he will gauge China’s strategic approach to the United States, according to The Washington Times.

The upcoming meetings will include talks with China’s senior generals in what Mattis described as an exchange of “strategic perspectives” of mutual concerns to “determine where we have common interest and where our interests diverge.”

Mattis left Joint Base Andrews on Sunday to embark on a six-day visit to Asia, during which he will stop in Alaska, China, South Korea and Japan.

In January, the Pentagon released a new national defense strategy in which it identified China and Russia as strategic military threats.

The strategy also deemed China a strategic competitor due to threats from Beijing’s unfair economic and trade policies.

China recently deployed advanced anti-ship missiles and air-defense missiles on disputed islands in the South China Sea. China has built up approximately 3,200 acres of new islands in recent years, including substantial militarization with facilities, runways, bunkers, storage areas and now missiles.

The missile deployments violate a pledge made by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a Sept. 2015 summit with then-President Barack Obama.

Jinping promised not to militarize the disputed islands, which are also claimed by the Philippines Vietnam, and several other countries in the region.

Last month, the Pentagon withdrew an invitation to the Chinese navy from participating in the upcoming U.S.-led international naval exercise known as Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).

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Pang Zhongying, a professor of international relations at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, told the South China Morning Post that the deteriorating military ties between the U.S. and China could lead to conflict.

“This is a critical time for managing the worsening relationship. So we should watch for who Mattis meets – if it’s just his counterpart, or whether he meets a more senior figure,” Pang said.

Earlier this month, Mattis criticized China for “intimidating and coercion” toward Taiwan, an ally of the U.S.

China recently flew bombers near the island, located 100 miles off China’s southern coast. China deems Taiwan a “wayward province” that may need to be controlled through force.